Not Another Iron Man Fanfiction
by onyourleft126
Summary: A quiet and highly intelligent girl who knows nothing of adventure and even less of danger, Isabella Stark finds herself knee-deep in conflict and intrigue when she is sent to stay at her uncle's home after her parents separate. In the process, Isabella might just discover a side of herself she never knew before. SET DURING THE EVENTS OF IRON MAN 2. PT. 1 OF THE IRON GIRL SERIES.
1. Prologue

One thing people always ask me is, 'What _happened?_"

Of course, what they want to hear is: What really went down during that summer I spent with my uncle, Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man?

Okay. To be honest, I seriously don't know. I mean, I never meant for this to happen. It just DID. And it all happened during the course of one crazy, unforgettable summer. The world sees it as the year Tony Stark opened the Stark Expo—which was subsequently destroyed by an old enemy (more on that later.) And in the wake of all these things, Iron Girl—at least that's what the press calls me—was born.

My name is Isabella Stark. I'm fourteen years old, and this is my story. My legit, no-lies, 100% true story.

Ready?

Here we go.

* * *

><p>Hi, this is my first fic on this site, and I seriously hope you like it! :D Updates every Tuesday!<p> 


	2. Here's Summer

"Few more kilometers, kiddo, and we'll be there," Happy Hogan, my uncle's chauffeur, said. He adjusted the rearview mirror so he could look at me better. I merely smiled and nodded, keeping my usual silence. The drive from the airport all the way to my uncle's house in Malibu Point, 90265, had been long and I was getting tired.

I looked out the window and watched the scenery flick by. Palm trees, blue waves—this wasn't what I was used to. I was still trying to adjust since leaving home for the summer and traveling all the way from Chicago to California, to stay the summer with my uncle. When you put it that way, it sounds like a cute trip to meet and bond with a family member you haven't seen since your fifth birthday and spend time with them surfing and making scrapbooks. But my purpose of visit was more like a business arrangement than a random decision to shake up the normal summer routine. See, over the last term of the schoolyear, my parents' marriage- never a perfect one- had finally disintegrated. On the last day, only Dad showed up to drive me home from boarding school, and on the way he broke the news, not too gently- Mom was moving out in a week.

Well, that's one story to tell my friends when we got back to school.

There was very little drama about the whole affair. My mother is an acclaimed research scientist (specialization: gamma radiation); my dad runs the Stark Industries branch of Chicago. Both are extremely practical individuals and smart in different ways. While that explains my above-average IQ, it doesn't exactly add up to explaining my fascination with technology and engineering. In any case, my parents treated their final, absolute separation like another business deal or experimental test- with all possibilities examined, every risk calculated, a deliberate disentanglement of their lives from one another. While this disentangling stuff was going on, Mom thought it was best to keep me out of such a 'stressful environment' (no seriously, those are the words she used) and send me to stay with a relative for the meantime, until all the paperwork had been signed, requirements met and assets divided. For once, Dad agreed with her.

It would have been a great plan, really, if only our last living relative wasn't Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist (or so he says) and head honcho of the multinational conglomerate Stark Industries.

Oh, and did I mention he's also Iron Man? Yup. Yeah. My uncle's Iron Man.

If I remember correctly, Dad had said: 'And maybe you two geniuses will get along. Bond over technology and stuff.'Note to self, girlfriend, I thought as Happy turned on the radio to fill the silence. Just because someone is a superhero doesn't automatically make them the best person to look after your kid. Just because two relatives share a penchant for building things doesn't mean they'll immediately get along.

But I guess things are never as they seem at first, and I guess who you always thought you were isn't who you _really _are. In this unexpected, surprising and bizarre summer, I was about to learn that.


	3. How I Met my Uncle

I went downstairs at around six o' clock. My uncle hadn't arrived yet, but Pepper was making calls for pizza. She looked up when she saw me.

"Hey," she said, with the smile again. "Hope you like pizza. Tony will be here in a minute."

"That's okay," I said. "Where is he?"

"He said something about testing a new flight inducer," said Pepper, an impatient tone in her voice. "Anyway, have a seat."

I sat on the couch. "So…you're really in charge of SI now?"

Pepper beamed. "Yes."

"Cool," I said, with an approving smile. Not a lot of women get a position like this.

"Thank you," Pepper replied. "I'm officially starting once your uncle—"

CRASH! CLATTER! CLANNNGGGG!

"What was that?" I gasped.

"That will be Mr. Stark, ladies," said JARVIS, "landing in the garage. Or rather, crash-landing."

"Tony!" cried Pepper, and she bustled downstairs, leaving me again.

I was alone in the living room with a disembodied British voice, so I followed her.

I skipped downstairs to what I thought was the garage, and I was right. There was a sort of glass wall dividing the stairs from the garage, which I thought looked more like a strange workshop. It was full of every tool and gadget I had dreamed of getting my hands on. But it was also a complete mess, and in the middle of it was Pepper staring at a figure gingerly getting up from the floor. My mouth dropped open little by little as I took in hot-rod red, gleaming gold, the sharp shine of high-quality steel. Iron Man stood in the middle of the mess, an impressive figure illumined by the soft blue glow radiating from his chest.

Then several metal arms came out of nowhere and pulled every segment of armor off, leaving an ordinary guy standing in its place.

"You have got to stop landing like that," Pepper scolded. "Look at this mess, Tony!"

"I'll fix it, don't worry!" he assured her. "I just lost control, that's all."

"After six months using that suit, you're still losing control?"

"Pep, calm down. We have a guest." Tony leaned to the left slightly to make eye contact with me, which surprised me. I didn't think he'd noticed I was there at all. But I figured, a genius notices most everything.

"Hey, kid, sorry about that," he said, before turning to Pepper, who huffed. "Let's go upstairs, okay?"

The three of us returned to the living room.

"Pizza for dinner," Pepper said. She must know Tony well enough to not stay mad at him for too long.

"Great," said Tony. He turned to me."So, Isabella, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He seemed to think for a second. "That's a bit of a mouthful. You got a nickname?"

"Uh, my mom calls me Bell," I said.

"Iz," Tony said. "Iz. That should work."

I didn't say anything. It seemed final. I fixed my eyes on the round glowing spot on his chest. The arc reactor.

"Okay, Iz. Only rule here is no going into the garage. Get it?"

"I get it."

"We're kinda in a transitioning phase right now, with Pepper at the helm and the Stark Expo in full swing, so it'd be best if you just stayed out of the way. Other than that-make yourself at home." He managed an awkward smile.

Pepper gave him a slight nudge with her elbow. Tony coughed. "And sorry about your parents. Really. I know it sucks, but you'll be perfectly fine here, so don't worry about it. It may be a mess down here, but it's definitely less messy than what your mom and dad have to deal with-"

"Tony, please," groaned Pepper. They both looked at me warily.

I responded with silence. My tried and tested defense mechanism.

"Um, Pepper?" Tony said. "What's going to happen to her when we leave for Monaco?"

"She's coming with us, of course," said Pepper flatly. "Anywhere we go, she has to come...we look after her, remember?"

Tony warily looked at me from afar, like I had just landed from outer space. He clearly had no experience with kids. Lucky me.

For some weird reason I didn't want Pepper to go home that night—maybe because she was a reassuring, orderly presence in the face of obvious chaos. But she told me comfortingly that I was going to be fine. I didn't tell her about my misgivings though—it was far too late for that, and I didn't want to look like a whining little kid. So I dealt with this the way I normally did—by clamming up and keeping my thoughts to myself, and resigning myself to living for the next few weeks with my crazy superhero uncle.


	4. It Hits the Fan

Much to my discomfort, the nickname 'Iz' caught on rather quickly to everyone in the household. And Tony seemed to be hiding something. I didn't know what, but it made me seem much more distant from him. He was evasive, guarded. Was he like that all the time, or just now? We rarely held a conversation that went past three minutes. He was probably avoiding the uncomfortable topic of my parents' divorce, but if that was the case, I never saw what he was worried about. There was no way I was going to talk about _that _to him, or to anyone else for that matter; except for maybe some of my friends from school whose parents had split up as well.

As to who was taking Pepper's place as my uncle's P.A., they'd hired a new girl, a stunningly pretty chick called Natalie Rushman. There was something different about her, but I couldn't quite put a finger on it. (It wasn't only the fact that I'd heard she managed to take down Happy in the boxing ring.) Tony had finally signed the paperwork that gave Pepper full control over the company. He hadn't explained to me yet why he had decided to resign and pass the torch to his girl Friday, but though I was curious, I could definitely dig it. Pepper was capable and balanced, tough as nails under a composed and made-up exterior. More than anything, I guess I was just excited to see what a woman would do as the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world.

We left for Monaco a couple of weeks after my arrival. Stark Industries was sponsoring a race car at the Grand Prix. At the events hall, Tony and Pepper separated themselves from us, and I was soon confined to sharing a table with Natalie.

"Hi," I said.

"Hey," she replied, but for some reason kept looking over at my uncle, who was at the bar (again.) She was watching him-not even in the 'I-like-you' way, but in the 'I'm-seriously-watching-you' way. I was wearing a plain blue silk dress that made me feel a little older and not so much like a misplaced little girl living among strangers. I watched the goings on with a quiet curiosity—after a bit, I noticed that Tony, who'd been talking to this guy Justin Hammer at the bar, had disappeared.

"Look!"

Several fingers pointed to the screens that showed the race track, and I looked up in surprise as Tony appeared.

"Oh man," I gulped. I could distinctly see him in the racecar Stark Industries had sponsored. What the hell was he thinking? And where did he get that driving uniform?

He put on the helmet and pointed to the camera, like he was watching us too. Or, more specifically, one person. Justin Hammer. One of SI's biggest business rivals.

In a couple of minutes, they were off.

Well, so much for shaking things up. Pepper and Natalie both looked panicked, and a lot of the other viewers were amused. Hammer seemed put out. Then the whatever-it-was that always hits the fan finally hit the fan when a random guy got onto the track.

"What the hell...?"

He was holding what looked like electric cables and had something strapped to his chest, a familiar glowing circle.

An arc reactor.

And just like that, there was mayhem and panic as this guy started using the cables like whips, cutting cars in half, tripping up the tires and sending them crashing. Then he hit the Stark car.

I was unable to see what happened next because my view was blocked by Pepper rushing past me.

"Isabella, I need you to stay here okay? Stay with Natalie. Happy and I have got something to do."

She ran off before I could reply. Back on the screen, Tony was hiding, panicked, under the wreck of another car.

I lurched to my feet. There was an explosion and I figured the cables must have hit a gas tank somewhere. Then another familiar car came on the scene, stopping nearby, and I was aware of Pepper throwing a strange suitcase to Tony from the back seat. He pressed a button at the side. Immediately the suitcase opened, multiple armor plates rippling out and forming over his body.

People started screaming, and when I got closer to the screen, I saw him. Iron Man in full glory, ready to rock and roll.

I watched the electrified whips wrap around him, but despite that, Tony managed to bring the whip guy down. He ripped out the arc reactor as the police arrived. The audio was just loud enough for me to catch the perp's words.

"You lose, Stark!" He cackled as security dragged him off the site.

It was over. Everyone was shocked, murmuring amongst themselves. I sat back down on my chair, hard, my mind reeling over what had just happened.

* * *

><p>Hallo, readers. It is I, OYL (or, y'know, just call me Iris.)<p>

First of all, thank you ever so much for reading this fic, and staying with it-buckle in, 'cause it's gonna be HELLA long. But I want to know what y'all think about it so far! Is it good? Is it bad? Is it ridiculous and sloppy? I've put this fic through like 5 drafts and have finished writing it all out, but it still might need room for improvement. So if you have anything to say, don't hesitate to make a comment :))

Oh! And if you could suggest a better title than 'Not Another Iron Man Fanfiction'...I would totally appreciate that. haha :)


	5. Not Lies, Only Secrets

Tony slid the menu to me from across the table. "Choose something. Anything."

I scanned the pages, thinking of picking the most expensive item on the list just to piss him off. But my appetite wasn't quite the same since I got to Malibu, and I ended up with a chicken fillet and another glass of ginger ale.

Tony ordered some kind of fancy roasted duck thing. He leaned in and peered at me expectantly as the waiter left.

"So what is this about?" I said, making a general gesture to our surroundings. People in classy clothes were sitting at tables all around us, laughing and talking-but not too loud. As far as I could tell, I was the only person here under the age of twenty.

"Well, Pepper said we should talk," said Tony, "so okay. Let's talk."

"You picked one hell of a place to talk," I pointed out quietly.

"What, you don't like it?" said Tony, sounding like he was at his wit's end. "And I went through all the trouble of picking a nice classy restaurant for a good girl like you. Five stars, y'know? Anyway..." He spread his hands as if we were a support group now open for discussion. "We're here. Let's talk."

Was this a forced attempt to bond with me? Gag. "So this was Pepper's idea?"

"Yeah."

"What do we talk about?"

Tony shrugged. "About anything. What happened the other day in Monaco, I guess?"

I picked up a salt shaker and sprinkled some fine grains into my empty plate. "Okay. Well, do you know that that crazy Russian guy knew how to build an arc reactor?"

"That's the problem," Tony said. "I did some digging yesterday. His name is Ivan Vanko, son of Anton Vanko. Anton used to work with my dad back in the day. They pioneered the theory for the arc reactor but Vanko intended to sell those designs to the Russians during the Cold War." He kept his voice low. "Dad found out, got him deported. That's about all I know."

"He seems to hate you."

"He's not the only one."

"You think he'll be back?"

Tony snorted. "How could he? He's under custody, probably will be for the rest of his life."

I fidgeted. "I dunno, Tony. What if he's not the only one you have to worry about?"

"What are you talking about?" Tony said, as if I were a child scared of irrational nightmares.

"For one thing," I said matter-of-factly, "you said he's not the only one who hates you. What if he's not the only one who hates you enough to attack you?"

"Now wait a minute," Tony said.

I went on. "I'm just getting a little freaked out here, okay, because I came all the way here so I'd avoid the stress my parents are going through. Then I find out you can't keep people from replicating your own technology and using it to hurt you?"

Tony ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Ivan Vanko is old news, okay? He's done, underground. He's not coming back. You don't think I can protect you?"

I didn't say anything.

"Well, I can," said Tony. "Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what I'm doing-thank you!" He said abruptly, turning to the waitress who had arrived with our dishes and was staring at us, wide-eyed. Tony had been speaking louder than he intended. I waited for her to leave before speaking up.

"Tell me one thing that you think I absolutely have to know," I said. "Like, you know Pepper would kill you if you didn't tell me."

Tony leaned back, and I thought I saw something flicker across his brown eyes. "I don't think you can understand—"

"Stop,"I said. "I'm not a little kid anymore. Just shoot straight."

Tony shook his head. "The…Government demanded that I hand in the Iron Man armor. To them it's classified as a weapon."

"So did you? Give it to them, I mean,"I asked.

"Not a chance in hell,"he said. "The thing is, they think my tech's not safe anymore. And to make things worse…people are trying to duplicate the Iron Man suit."

"But they don't succeed,"I guessed.

"They didn't. Until the other day, when somebody arrived in Monaco with a nearly perfect arc reactor."

I knit my brows. Suddenly my food seemed less interesting. "What are we gonna do?"

"'We'?"Tony questioned. "Oh no, kid. Not we. Me. It's my tech, my company, my problem. You have nothing to do with it. Just 'cause you ranked on the genius level for every IQ test you've taken doesn't mean you have to get involved. So don't."

I pressed my lips together. This conversation was over.

A small beep sounded. Tony glanced at his phone and stood. "I gotta go to the bathroom for a while."

"I don't think you've even touched your food," I couldn't help but comment.

"Yeah, well, I'll finish it when I get back, so in the meantime, don't nibble off of it or anything." He walked towards the restrooms. I noticed him pulling out a small vial as he went.

All I'd managed to get from this entire forced bonding session was that maybe Tony wasn't telling me everything. He wasn't lying, I decided. Just keeping a few secrets.

And something else. I still wasn't sure if he could completely protect both of us forever. If there really were people like Vanko out there who would stop at nothing to take Tony down, then I was in danger too. I had to come up with a plan that was both a defense mechanism-and a contingency procedure that ensured Tony would be safe even if Iron Man had somehow been defeated or compromised.

The first idea I got was the simplest and most dangerous.

But damn if it didn't sound like fun.


	6. Desperate Measures

Everybody was so busy that they didn't seem to bother what I do, and I guess that was just as well, since what I planned to do was pretty crazy. I hid around the house, monitoring everyone carefully. Tony wasn't home all the time; as Iron Man, there was usually something or other he had to deal with, a few lives that needed saving. Sometimes he left the house as just Tony Stark at a party, dinner or meeting. He was accompanied, all the time, by Natalie Rushman. They usually left Happy behind to keep an eye on me. But Happy, I noted, was extremely obsessed with perimeter checks and fire safety that he didn't pay much attention to me as long as I was in the house. I seized the opportunity to sneak into the garage, armed with my weapon of choice—the Frannie.

The Frannie was the touch-screen device I sometimes wore attached to my wrist. It was improved from an ancient, defective early prototype of a failed Starkphone, but I'd used my knack for fixing and making things to turn it into a fully-functioning multi-tool. The Frannie usually spent its days in a cupboard in my dorm room, but it was just as versatile—and even more—than your average iPad.

"Miss Stark, for everyone's sake, I am giving you fair warning not to come in here," JARVIS said as I approached.

"Ssh," I said. "I really like you, JARVIS, you're a good robot. It's just…" I fiddled with the Frannie. "I'm kind of on a mission." The security keypad on the door turned green and it slid open. I grinned. Security codes? First thing I had ever taught myself to crack.

Before the alarms could come on, I overrode the system and shut them off. I swear if JARVIS had a face right now, he'd be staring at me with jaw wide open.

"And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell my uncle," I said. "I won't be here long. Just to get what I need."

So the thing was, I knew I wasn't safe here. I knew I had to protect myself and, to an extent, protect Tony too. The only way I thought I could do that was rip my own uncle off, like a boss, and create a suit of armor that I could count on to protect myself. Luckily, I was right next to the motherlode-the SI database. The reason why nobody could replicate the suit before was A. they didn't have the right tech and designs and B. They weren't smart enough.

I was.

I used the Frannie to download every file I could find on the building of the Iron Man suit, sent the files to my laptop so the memory wouldn't be too full then rummaged around looking for scrap metal. I was in luck-there was a lot. Spare parts, stuff that was stowed away because they didn't look like they could be fixed. Either that or Tony was just being lazy, because as far as I was concerned, this place was a treasure trove of stuff. I really hit gold when I found a whole drawerful of extra arc reactors. Surprisingly, some of them were burned out, but most were fresh and only needed to be plugged into something to work.

"I wonder what the used ones were doing here," I said aloud, hoping JARVIS would answer. But he didn't-darn computer was probably sulking.

I quickly grabbed one and stuffed it into the big leather backpack along with several other things. I also managed to nab some extra tools. This work couldn't be completed here; I had to do it up in my room, and God forbid that anyone should ever find me.

I made sure to wipe all traces of my having copied the files. One thing that came out of being so quiet—the tendency to be meticulous and thorough as well. Upon exit, I relocked the door.

And now, a quick security check.

"JARVIS, have I entered the garage anytime recently?" I asked.

"No, ma'am, as I recall, you aren't allowed to be in here."

I nodded. "Yeah, exactly."

In the week leading up to Tony's birthday party, I kept to my room, using all manner of tools to assemble a working armor for myself—altered slightly to fit me, of course. Well, I assumed it was working; the HUD functioned and everything that was supposed to light up was basically lighting up, but I never found the opportunity for a full test drive. That would have to wait for another time. But looking over what I had hidden in my closet, it seemed more than sufficient for any emergency wherein I felt directly endangered. It took twice my daily intake of ginger ale for me to calm down; I'd never done anything like this before.

Of course, Tony would probably be really mad at me. But we could cross that bridge when we came to it. Besides, replicating the suit for self-defense wasn't the same as replicating it to get rich, was it?

Was it?


	7. Party Crashin'

And now, a message from your author! :D

First of all I want to thank you guys for hitting 'follow' and telling me what you think. In a mere couple of weeks I've had over 200 views and 15 followers on this story. That really means a lot to me, and even more so that you guys are excited for what happens next XD

Second, I'd truly appreciate it if y'all sent in more suggestions for a title other than Not Another Iron Man Fanfiction...because tbh, the one I have right now is a little bit boring. Ahaha.

And finally, I hope you enjoy these next two chapters, because here's where the action reaches fever pitch :) So in the words of Ivan Vanko: I hope you're ready!

* * *

><p>Tony's birthday party rolled around, in the midst of much fluster and planning. It was supposed to be really lavish and fun, meaning as an underage kid I wouldn't be allowed to attend. However, I coerced Happy into joining me as I used the entire afternoon before his birthday to scour the nearest mall for an appropriate present. At a loss, I bought a bottle of chocolate vodka and presented it to Tony with a red-and-gold bow.<p>

"That's…cute," he said, picking it up and examining it. "I love this brand." Then he peered at me as if I were a germ beneath a microscope. "The people at the liquor store allowed you to buy this?"

"Happy was with me," I said with a shrug.

"Rhodey, look at this," Tony said, passing the bottle to a tall man with a military cut. "Remind us to open this if we run out. By the way- Rhodey, this is my niece Isabella. Iz, this is Rhodey."

"Colonel James Rhodes, Air Force. Nice to meet you," he said curtly, with the air of a seasoned soldier. "How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen," I replied.

He glared at Tony and took him aside. I heard him say "This is a bad idea. You already have enough problems!"

"Rhodey, if you have a better suggestion as to who should be looking after her," Tony said, "I'd love to hear it."

"Tony, come on—"

"It's a family affair, buddy."

"I can hear you," I couldn't help but say.

Rhodey tried to smile at me. "Just a little...concerned." He turned back to Tony. "Don't let her attend this party."

I was present to watch Tony blow out the candles and sing along with the other guests just before Pepper shooed me to my room, making sure I had a slice of cake and a can of ginger ale.

It honestly wasn't that long when I heard a bang. And then another, then another. Great. Tony was showing off again.

Things got really weird when I thought I heard Rhodey yell something I couldn't understand, then suddenly loud music was playing. Another One Bites the Dust? Tony, what are you thinking?

Turns out he wasn't.

The music was accompanied by loud crashes from downstairs, and when they started sounding like they were happening upstairs too, I braced for impact as whatever it is that hits the fan finally hit the fan.

I screamed as a huge outside force came hurtling through the door, smashing it, and the surrounding wall, to bits. It occurred to me that the outisde force was Tony in his Mark 5 suit grappling against an older, grey version of the Iron Man armor. As they separated, I realized the person in the other armor was Rhodey.

"What's going on?" I screamed.

"Don't worry kid, I got this!" hooted Tony, clearly enjoying it. Rhodey was unused to the suit; that gave Tony an advantage. He smashed the Mark 2 armor through the opposite wall of my room. Pieces of plaster scattered everywhere, bouncing off the floor and my bed. One hurtled toward my head, and I lifted a hand just in time.

I looked up, bewildered, as the boys carried their fight further downstairs. My arm was stinging from the impact of the plaster that hit it, and I hissed in pain, realizing what was going on. Tony was insecure, drunk and showing off, and he was way out of control tonight. Maybe he and Rhodey were both drunk and that's why they ended up brawling. As to how Rhodey had accessed the silver armor, I couldn't think about right now.

More people screamed from downstairs, and I could distinctly hear Pepper. My fists clenched. They were endangering everyone in the house! I was one hundred percent done with Tony and his reckless shenanigans. Somebody had to put a stop to this.

I opened my closet door, heart pounding.

"It's time, girl."


	8. Take Your Shot

Before Rhodey could land another blow on Tony's helmet, I raised a palm and fired at his arm. Rhodey recoiled, surprised, the metal scorched and smoking. "Ouch!"

"Will you just quit it?" I screeched.

"Isabella?!" Rhodey said in disbelief, but Tony just doubled over laughing.

"Are you serious? Oh, this is so _typical. _Little kid got herself a suit!" His voice dropped to an angry growl behind his visor. "You are in SO much trouble."

"You know what? Screw you!" The sudden sharp tone of my voice surprised me. I NEVER spoke to anyone like that, and I would have taken it back if Rhodey hadn't used the moment's distraction to left-hook Tony square in the chest.

"Stay down, willya?" he yelled.

"STOP!" I shouted as Tony launched himself up and attacked Rhodey again. Their open fire landed on my armor with snaps and sizzles, but otherwise I was unharmed. I blinked—this was working better than I expected. They wrestled each other into the living room, and another scream from Pepper made me stop and shake down my priorities. Somebody had to keep those people safe!

I turned around. "JARVIS!"

"Reluctantly, at your service, Miss Stark," came the computer voice in my helmet.

"Walk me through this—how do I fly the suit?"

As if in response, my boot thrusters blazed into life, launching me up clumsily. I put out both arms to steady myself. "Okay, there we go."

I made it inelegantly into the living room, where everybody was still gathered. They were all panicking—not the least of course, Pepper. In my HUD, JARVIS gave me a helpful analysis of the situation. Pressure from the chaos on the second floor has smashed in the ceiling, which made it impossible for the front door to open since it was being weighed down by debris. The party guests couldn't leave—and anyway, some of them were taking videos with their phones. California girls!

I lifted a hand, blasting bigger holes into the windows and shattering the glass. People screamed.

"Everybody out!" I called. "C'mon!"

"Isabella?" gasped Pepper as I made my way to her in the crowd. I bent to help up a guy who'd stumbled and pushed him toward the exit I had made.

"Pepper, are you okay?"

Another wall came crashing in as the boys barreled into the living room, and I stepped in front of Pepper to shield her from the mess. "Goldstein, RUN!" she screamed at the DJ. Rhodey grabbed Tony and bodily shoved him into the fireplace.

"Shit," The word leapt out of my mouth before I could think. "Pepper, just go…"

Tony hauled himself out of the furnace, unharmed. It was now a stand-off between him and Rhodey.

"Put your hand down!" Rhodey commanded. I decided that no, he was not drunk. Just trying to shut his best friend down.

"You think you got what it takes to wear that suit?" retorted Tony, directing the words at me as well.

"We don't have to do this, Tony."

"You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot."

I didn't need JARVIS' mile-a-minute analysis to know that two magnet-based energy sources would repel way too strongly when directed at one another.

BOOM!

I turned around and grabbed Pepper as the force from both blasts collided, sending Tony, Rhodey and I flying in opposite directions. I angled myself so I landed on the floor, Pepper on top of me, stunned but unharmed.

My HUD was temporarily down, so I pulled off my helmet, looking at the wrecked house. It was a total ruin. Iron Man was slumped against the wall, armor wrecked...but Tony was conscious, and he stirred.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rhodey, still in the Mark 2 armor, take one last glance at Tony and take off, disappearing into the night sky.

He took the suit! He took it! And I was positive he wasn't giving it back.

Well, there goes another guy with his hands on Stark tech.

"This has gone too far, Tony!" Pepper shouted.

"You know it wouldn't have gone this far if Rhodey hadn't TRIED TO BEAT MY ASS—" Tony stood and pulled off his helmet.

"You were out of control!" I said.

Tony rounded on me. "Oh no! Don't you say anything. Take off my goddamn suit and go back to your room and I'll deal with you in the morning!"

"My room is wrecked," I snapped. "You smashed a hole in it, remember?" Pepper and Natalie—where had Natalie been?—watched this exchange with apprehension.

"Will you both just calm down?" Natalie said.

I put on my helmet and turned around. "I think I need to get outta here for a while."

"Where are you going?" Tony said. "You're not leaving too. Where would you go, huh?"

He was right. Where _would _I go? "I don't care!" I said without breaking my stride. I stepped over broken glass and into the cool night air. "Anywhere."

This time, when my thrusters kicked into action, I took off more smoothly. Below, Pepper and Tony yelled for me to come back. But I was simmering too much for that. Everything I was trying to keep from getting to me—moving to Malibu, worrying about our safety, my trust issues with Tony, all just tumbled in during one night, and I needed an escape, just to go away and think about it for a while—or not think at all.

Luckily, the night sky opened up for me, my power supply was still at 88% and the possibilities were endless. I tilted my nose at the moon and rejoiced in my flight.

If I had nowhere to go, then I could go just about anywhere.


	9. I Make my Grand Debut

Sorry for not updating yesterday! Dentist's appointment. Ahaha :) Well, here's the next chapter. Hope you have fun reading it!

* * *

><p>I rocketed toward the stars, turning and spiraling like a heatseeker, pushing the sky to its very limits. "I can't believe this works!" I whooped. Laid out below me was the California coastline, cities glittering in the night like a string of diamonds, and the dark ocean crashing into the beach. It was breathtaking. I had never felt so free before. At this moment, the whole world opened up to me.<p>

I dropped gradually, gracefully, and looked back at the coast. My helmet display zoomed in on a distant, familiar building built over the cliffside. Tony's house. It looked even worse from all the way here. Zooming in further, I caught sight of Pepper angrily walking to her car, getting in and driving away.

Tony soon took flight in the opposite direction, so I figured I'd better make myself scarce. I was NOT in the mood to talk to him right now.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Can I fly this thing into outer space?"

"I commend you for asking, Miss Stark. On your uncle's first flight he attempted to break through the atmosphere and find out for himself." The computer voice paused. "He has since made attempts to enable extraterrestrial travel in the suit and has succeeded. The answer is yes."

I grinned. "Awesome."

I went farther, faster, higher, leaving all my fears and problems behind me, counting every layer of the atmosphere I could remember until, before I knew it, I hit Mach 5 and burst right into the exosphere.

Space was cold, empty and beautiful. Everywhere I looked I saw more stars than I could count. The moon faced me, perfectly round and perfectly still.

"Wow," I breathed.

I let myself hang in space, suspended, floating and calm.

At some point, I knew I'd have to return to Earth. But not just yet.

I wasn't sure how long I was up there. All I know is that I dropped back into the atmosphere as our blue planet was about to turn toward the sun, and landed just in time to see the sun rise over Malibu.

I settled on a fence bordering a mountainside road, one of the bigger ones. It wasn't quite so busy now (5 am) but it soon would be. I put up my armor's visor and watched the sun come up, sitting on the fence alone. I hadn't felt this kind of good in years.

My peace was suddenly ruined as a ten-wheeler truck came roaring down the road. My head turned suddenly to track its speed. _What? Those reflexes aren't my own. _I realized the suit had an early-warning system. Several diagnostics popped up on my HUD as the truck went on its way.

"What the hell?" I gasped.

"Miss Stark, I should warn you that a Roxxon gas station is situated less than a kilometer away," JARVIS said urgently. "At this speed, the incoming truck _will _collide with it. Seven minutes until impact."

"Are you serious right now?" I said, realizing that JARVIS' information was relayed with the intention of helping me stop the accident. "I can't do this-"

Do what? Save whoever was going it get hurt? Or stand by and let it just happen while I saved myself?

Oh, God.

I kicked the thrusters into action and muttered a quick prayer to whichever saint was the patron of beginner's luck. I caught up with the truck just in time as it careened out of control, making a clumsy drift and smashing its rear end into the gas station.

The succeeding fire spread quicker than I imagined. Swallowing my fear, I got JARVIS to find survivors.

"Four people in the gas station at the time of impact, five including the driver. All are alive, but two have faint bio signatures. I suggest you get them to safety first." He said.

I ground my teeth. "Okay, let's do this."

In the blaze I could hear people screaming. The driver of the truck was stunned in his seat. I landed on the truck's head, punched a hole through the roof and pulled him out.

"Whu-?" He mumbled. I hoisted him on my back and flew him out several yards, placing him on the asphalt on the side of the empty road. Then it was back into the blaze for the rest.

Three men and one woman were left inside, coughing from the smoke. One, I could tell, was hurt bad. I pulled fallen structures out of the way to get to them.

"Iron Man?" said one guy.

"Um, no," I said. "Can you lift that guy?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's go-hurry! I'll cover you. Come on!"

I led everybody out of the blaze, clearing a path as we went, with JARVIS marking relatively safe spots for us to pass through. I ended up flying the girl out to save time, and the four of us made it to safety as the distant wail of a fire engine reached our ears.

"Is that the driver?" The girl said as I set her down on the sidewalk.

"Yeah." The truck driver was stirring. Oh thank God, he was alive. "Are you okay?" I asked. "How did you lose control, can you tell me?"

"The brakes,"he groaned. "Faulty…I was gonna have 'em fixed…"

The girl and the other two conscious men stared at me. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?" the guy asked.

Putting up my visor would be a bad idea right now. "Um, it's kinda hard to explain..."

"Isabella Stark!"

I turned around suddenly. Behind me stood a man with brown hair. He was wearing a suit and a serious expression. Behind him were parked two black cars. They both sported the logo of SHIELD on the doors. This was definitely bad news.

"H-how did you know it was me?" I said, my voice small. In that moment, I was back to the timid, ordinary Isabella Stark.

"We've been talking with your uncle. I'm Phil Coulson and I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."


	10. Explain Yo'Self

"But I didn't do anything wrong."

"You replicated an Iron Man suit without permission," Coulson pointed out. He opened the trunk of one of the SHIELD cars. "Please disassemble the suit now and put it in this crate here."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Back to the Stark mansion."

I didn't move. "You know-"

"-your uncle?" Could on said. "We've been talking. He's more pissed off about this than I am."

Shoot. I was doomed now. SHIELD's existence as a peacekeeping organization was not secret; their activities were. If they turned up, you knew that whatever usually hits the fan was REALLY hitting the fan.

All at once the pride and power I had felt while using the suit fell away, as I detached my armor piece by piece, methodically, and placed it in the crate at the back of the car. Finally I was standing in the black t-shirt and shorts I had been wearing underneath. Coulson opened the back door, and I slipped into the passenger seat.

Before the door shut, I saw the young woman I had saved call out "Thank you—thank you!" to me, before being propelled away by a medic to an ambulance.

Coulson got into the seat next to me. "Drive, Triplett," he said to the driver. "Miss Stark, this is Agent Triplett. SHIELD has a team stationed at the Stark mansion right now."

"Why?" I said. "Is Tony in trouble?"

"Technically speaking? You both are."

That shut me up. "I'm sorry," I said finally.

"I'm sure you are," Coulson said. "But I think before anybody blames you, I have to make it clear that replicating the Iron Man armor has more ramifications than you were made aware of. Your uncle never told you about the attempts to copy his designs, did he? Or about the court hearings demanding that he turn the suit in to the US Government?"

"Yeah, I knew that."

"Well, in all fairness, do you think what you did was any different or better than what those people tried to do?"

I blinked. _How stupid can you get? _

Coulson glanced at Triplett, who merely shrugged and said "This is gonna get funky."

"I promise, I wasn't going to sell it on the black market or anything," I said. "I built that suit because I felt like I wasn't safe. I did it to defend myself, I had a good reason—"

"Save it. We're taking you to the mansion right now to sort all this out," Coulson said. "In the meantime, put on your seatbelt."

Coulson and Triplett practically dragged me out of the car and into the house. Not roughly, not rudely, but they did. And before I knew it I was standing back in Tony's living room, my uncle in front of me, hands on his hips and wearing a very ugly printed bathrobe. And an outraged look on his face.

"What. The actual. HELL," he said.

I winced. "Tony—"

"What were you thinking, flying out like that?! You didn't know what was out there that could've taken you, got the suit and hurt you—I swear to GOD, Iz! I have enough problems!"

"Mr. Stark, you should probably hear Isabella out," said Coulson. "She tells me she has a good reason for what she did."

"Oh yeah?" snapped Tony. "What is it? Auction it off on eBay so that people like that Bieber kid have a piece of my tech in their 'crib'?" He made quotation marks in the air with his fingers. A couple of feet behind me, Agent Triplett snickered.

"Why is SHIELD here?" I demanded. "What are you still not telling me? I knew something was up, I knew you were going off the rails and last night really sealed it. I needed to protect myself somehow; so I—"

"Built a suit? To protect _yourself?_ Because you didn't trust me? Can you imagine how selfish that sounds?"

I clenched my fists. "You're talking to me about selfish? 'I have enough problems,'" I said, quoting him from earlier. "Tony, if there's something out there still threatening us, I _deserve_ to know—"

"That's enough, from both of you!"

We both turned to look at Coulson, stunned. Did he just raise his voice at us? Triplett looked surprised too, but said nothing. Coulson, never missing a beat, took advantage of the second's silence. "Now Agent Triplett and I drove all the way to a disaster zone on the freeway to shut you down," he said, directing his words to me, "but the only thing I see here that needs fixing is both of your attitudes. Will you start acting like a family and tell each other the truth?"

"Look, you can't just—" began Tony, but Coulson cut him off.

"This won't fix all of your problems, Mr. Stark, but it is going to solve one of them," he said. "What we're going to do now is leave you both to talk about this, and I want you to tell each other the truth. That's how this mess is going to get cleared up." He turned to me. "Convince your uncle that the armor you stole is not going to be threat, and you convince me. No more secrets, no more trust issues, and definitely no more Iron Girl." He turned around. "Trip, come on. I have some Hostess Donettes in the car, we can eat them in the foyer."

"'Iron Girl'?" I said incredulously.

"What else is he supposed to call you?" Agent Triplett pointed out as they left.

That left Stark and Stark together in the living room. The steel crate containing my suit had been dragged in by the agents upon our arrival and was now placed on the floor between us, daring us to confront its existence.

"Well?" I asked.

"Well?" Tony demanded. "You wanna explain why you went full 'Iron Girl'?"

"I wasn't—I didn't mean to save those people. I mean, I did, but I—" I sighed. "I felt threatened, okay? I panicked. I replicated the Iron Man suit to defend myself if you—"

"—couldn't protect you?" he finished. "Yeah. I get it."

"Good," I said. "Now what did you—"

"I'm dying, Iz," Tony said suddenly, and I fell silent.


	11. Stark Solutions

Yeah, I killed it with that cliffhanger didn't I? ;)

Here's the next chapter, and for those who said they wanted more Tony-Iz interactions and an exploration of their dynamic, you get what you want right here! And as always- tell me what you think!

* * *

><p>"Now do you see why I couldn't tell you?"<p>

I didn't know what to say. Tony paced, looking tired and frustrated.

"I don't get it," I said finally. "How did you hide it all this time? And what does SHIELD have to do with-"

"How did you make that suit?" Tony interrupted me. When I didn't say anything, he said "Show me. Tell me everything you did and why you did it. Then I'll tell you what you need to hear."

I could tell neither of us was going to divulge the whole truth without first hearing it from the other. One of us had to move. The newly-discovered rebel side of me that was getting the hang of standing up for herself raged, 'Tony is the adult! He should tell me first!' But the old part of me I was more familiar with urged me to give way. So I did.

I brought Tony up to my ruined room and showed him the tools I had hijacked, the files I'd retrieved. I explained how I laced every spare piece to the arc reactor I had found and relied on his test drives and protocols to ensure the suit worked. Down in his garage, I walked him through my process of hacking into the armory, with JARVIS' help. His expression changed from stand-offish ness, to curiosity, to frustration, to fascination. When I finished, having explained myself to death, his expression was unreadable.

Then it was his turn. I listened as Tony explained what was killing him. Palladium poisoning from the arc reactor in his chest, a slow-moving killer that was affecting his bloodstream. And Tony ran me through several different formulas and equations that he had tried to use to cure himself. It was a lot for me to handle. But that, plus his issues with the government, plus Vanko making an attempt at his life, plus my arrival at the mansion and my parents' divorce, must have been a lot to take as well. At this point, he was at the end of his rope.

Every secret he had kept, I realized, he'd kept because he was scared of what people would say, how Iron Man would look, how it would affect Pepper and I. He had done it to protect us, only it had backfired.

Finally Tony explained to me that SHIELD was here to ensure he cured himself. They needed him because the world needed Iron Man. So they'd left him here with a lockbox containing all of Tony's father's research, in the hopes that he'd come up with a solution.

"So that's that," Tony said, leaning on his elbows on a work table. "Get it now?"

"Yeah." I looked up and right into his eyes. "I totally get it." And I meant I got everything.

Tony rubbed his temples. "Look. Iz. I understand now why you did what you did. But you still practically stole this stuff from me. And I can't involve you any further-it's too dangerous. You have to promise me: no more stuff with the suit. You don't have to protect yourself anymore. I will, whether I fix myself or not. Okay?"

I sighed. "Okay. But I really, really liked it."

"I...know the feeling," he said, with the air of a tightly-coiled snake finally relaxing. "When you're in the suit, you feel like you can do anything."

"Like you're invincible," I said.

"Best part is breaking the sound barrier," he said.

A smile crept onto my lips. "No kidding. First chance I got I did like Mach 5."

"Really? How far'd you go?"

"As close to the moon as I could get."

Tony nodded, impressed. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"It's going to be hard to give up," I said, glancing at another armor Tony had stood up in a glass case on the wall.

"I mean it, kiddo," he warned, "We'd get into way more trouble if I let you keep your armor and face off against a Mafia hit squad on supposed 'self-defense.'" But he was chuckling slightly.

Something at the bottom of the lockbox caught my eye. I pried it out; it was an old-style video reel labeled 'The City of the Future 1- Howard Stark'.

"Check this out," I passed it to Tony.

"Hm," he said. "This is...worth a look."

"Maybe there's a clue in there," I said, "whatever 'city of the future' means."

"We'll find out," said Tony. He rattled around the garage for a good five minutes before I asked what he was actually looking for; when he said "Screen and projector" I joined him in the search and we finally found both items. Tony played the film reel, and I discovered about five more in the box.

The reel, ancient and in black and white, depicted a middle-aged Howard Stark-Tony's father and founder of the company-introducing his plans for a completely modern city. A silence descended on both of us as we settled on the couch, fixated on our deceased family member. Gradually Tony's attention waned and he began sifting through Howard's notes.

I rested my chin on the arm of the couch and curled up, watching Howard move about. God, it had been a full day. And to think I hadn't slept that night either. I barely noticed it when I started nodding off and sank into a deep doze.


	12. Tony's POV

Short chapter today. Something from Tony Stark's point of view this time.

* * *

><p>Tony's<strong> POV<strong>

"...My greatest creation is, and always will be, you."

The final film reel ended, becoming a flurry of black and white static. Tony turned to look at his niece. "Okay, don't you dare start laughing-"

She wasn't laughing. In fact, she wasn't making a sound at all. She was fast asleep.

Tony blinked in the darkened room. Well, hopefully she hadn't seen that bit where he, aged five, had made a cameo appearance and stole a piece off Howard's 'City of Tomorrow' diorama. Otherwise he'd never live it down.

Tony's phone rang suddenly, and he answered it before it could wake Iz up. "Hello?" He barked.

"Mr. Stark. It's Natalie."

"Natalie? Or Natasha?" He said skeptically. That morning, in an empty doughnut shop, Tony had encountered Director Nick Fury of SHIELD-and Natasha Romanoff, who just so happened to be the real secret identity of his stern and independent new notary. One thing he'd forgotten to tell Isabella. "What do you want?"

"Miss Potts would like you to come over to the office and collect some personal effects," she stated coolly. "I got Coulson to clear you for this afternoon. Did they find your niece yet?"

Tony glanced at the sleeping figure next to him. "Yeah. It was...it worked out."

"Good. We'll see you."

"Sure. Whatever." Natalie hung up, and Tony pocketed his phone. Well, telling Iz everything wasn't so bad...maybe it was time he explained to Pepper. And apologized too. As long as she'd listen, of course. On the couch, Isabella stirred slightly and mumbled something about ginger ale. She couldn't stay here.

Grumbling, Tony scooped up her small, thin frame and carried her up the stairs. He reached her room and, skirting the rubble on the floor, laid her on the bed clumsily. He'd have to get this room fixed. Actually, he'd have to get the whole house fixed. Dammit, first of all, he'd have to get his life fixed. But maybe having this vulnerable, sleeping girl around was no longer going to be a problem. Maybe.

Tony took the stairs back down two at a time to find Triplett and Coulson looking at him-apparently they'd been watching the whole time.

"What?" He snapped. "I'm going out, boys. Make sure the kid doesn't fly off again."


	13. Mom's the Word

My eyelids popped open rather suddenly. The first thing I noticed was the thin crack running along the ceiling of my bedroom. I blinked. Hadn't I fallen asleep on the couch in the garage? And where was Tony? He must have brought me up here. Oh, how embarrassing. Good thing he hadn't bothered to take my sneakers off.

I stretched and got out of bed, taking care not to step on the rubble, and crossed to my closet where I pulled out a change of clothes.

After I'd freshened up a little, I went downstairs. Coulson was viewing something on a tablet computer while other SHIELD agents milled about. He looked up when he saw me.

"Hello," he said. "You're up. Come and give this a look."

Coulson tilted the screen toward me as I approached. "Where did Tony go?"

"He left for the Stark HQ, he'll be back soon," Coulson said. "Watch this."

The screen was tuned to a news website and playing a video interview. I realized that the man onscreen was one of the guys I'd saved earlier this morning.

"—thought we were all doomed for sure. But then she just sort of happened and cleared a path for us out of the blaze! I thought it was Iron Man at first, I mean, red and gold, but it wasn't. She took her helmet off after. And it was her, man, the niece, Isabella Stark. These two guys in big cars came up and took her away. But I dunno where Iron Man even was, man…"

"I made the news?" I said softly.

"You did," said Coulson. "For the first and last time. Am I clear?"

I nodded. "Oh yeah, that's the last you'll see of me. I talked it out with Tony. No more superhero stuff until, like, never."

"You seem to have reached a compromise," Coulson noticed. "Or at least, started to get along better. He brought you up to your room after you fell asleep, you know."

"Hm," I said. "Figures."

We were interrupted by the sound of wheels in the driveway and the roar of an engine going into the garage. It wasn't long before Tony came up the stairs. He was carrying a number of large boards, as if from some kind of diorama, and was constantly bumping into walls with them. He noticed us watching.

"Oh hello," he said. "Just went down to pick up some personal effects."

"I thought you weren't allowed to leave the house," I said.

"Pepper called; I had to come," said Tony. "Besides, I kind of need this. What does this look like to you?"

I stared at the boards. "This is from your dad's City of the Future thing, right?"

"It is." Tony bent slightly so we were on eye level. "Remember when you said those videos might give us a clue? I took a hint. And I saw your big breakthrough this morning when that gas station blew up."

"You did?"

"Yeah." To my surprise, his expression was one of fascinated, even proud amusement. "So listen. I've been thinking about it, and while I'm still partially mad at you for ripping me off—"

"Thanks," I snorted.

"—I gotta say, you did good today. Those people you saved? They'll live to drive and screw up and get baked and do better again, because of what you did. You're the reason why they got a second chance."

I was surprised. This was unexpected. A few feet away, Coulson folded his hands and smiled.

I looked up at Tony. "Thanks. That means a lot coming from you." I grinned. "But I think these people would rather have Iron Man back."

"And they're gonna get him," said Tony. "Now excuse me while I try to figure out what my old man was trying to tell me. Oh, and in the meantime, Iz, place a call for pizza tonight. And don't bother me."

"Sure," I said sarcastically as he disappeared into the garage.

I called for pizza (Agent Triplett promised not to shoot the delivery guy on sight) and returned to my room to tidy up the place as much as possible. Finally, I forced myself to open the closet door and confront the pieces of my suit that lay at the bottom.

I picked up the helmet and turned it in my hands. "Sorry, baby girl," I said, "but it looks like you're going back to meet your maker." I added it to the armor pieces in the steel crate and started dragging it downstairs.

Agent Coulson saw me come down. "Pizza's here. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe."

"I'm not worried." There were two boxes, both pepperoni*.

"Will you take one of these boxes down to your uncle? It's important that he eats."

I picked up one box. "Look, so Tony said SHIELD had a ton of Grand-Uncle Howard's stuff. How did that happen?"

"Well, Howard Stark happens to be a founding member of SHIELD," Coulson said.

My jaw dropped. "I didn't know that. Why don't I know that?"

Coulson smiled. "Well, you do now."

I gestured to the box. "Help yourself. You and your SHIELD buddies can have this other box."

"Why, thank you very much."

A beep sounded from the FRANNIE, indicating that someone was attempting a video chat. I peered at the screen and was surprised to find my mom on the line.

Shoot. Had she seen the video...?

I pressed 'accept' and a window popped open. My mother's voice came on the speakers. "Isabella?"

"...hi, Mom."

With her straight blonde hair and flawless skin, Mom looks more like a model than a scientist. Most people aren't even aware that she has a kid. The only thing I've inherited from her are her green eyes, and the rest is all dark Stark genes. She peered at me anxiously. The room behind her was unfamiliar to me. She must have already moved out, I thought.

"Oh, Bell, you're okay!" She exclaimed. "I just saw the news, I had to call to make sure. Are you all right? What did Tony say?"

"Mom, I'm fine!" I said. "I'm completely okay. You don't have to freak out!"

"I'm sorry," Mom apologized. "I was just worried..."

I couldn't help but grin. Mom was worried. About me.

"Did you...make that suit?"

I nodded.

"By yourself?"

"Yeah," I told her. "Tony had nothing to do with it. He didn't know I was working on it till this morning- but we're cool now," I said, when Mom took a breath to start scolding me.

"Bell, I'm sorry, I should have checked up on you sooner," she said softly. "I know you must be upset about what happened to your father and me-"

"I'm sorry too," I replied. "But I wasn't acting up or doing it to make you guys mad, I really wasn't thinking. I kind of panicked, everything's been so crazy lately..."

"Bell, don't cry," Mom said uncertainly.

"I'm not...crying," I said, as a teardrop splashed onto the screen of the FRANNIE.

She smiled. "Are you getting along with your uncle?"

"Trying," I said with a grin. "But how are you, Mom? How's the whole, um, thing going?"

"Well our lawyers are telling us that right now, you're the most important asset we have to deal with," Mom said matter-of-factly. "And they're right, baby. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch, I was so busy moving out."

"Mom, it's fine."

"We're trying to arrange it so that you can live with either of us at different times of the year- unless you'd rather stay with me?" She asked hopefully.

"Actually, it doesn't matter," I said. "I mean, I want to stay with both of you. I don't mind going back and forth."

"Now just because your father and I split up doesn't mean we love _you _any less," Mom added. "I hope you understand that we sent you to Tony's so things would be easier for you. Once everything's all settled here, we'll come get you."

I couldn't help but smile sadly. So this thing was for good after all. Given how meaningless their relationship had become, maybe this was really for the best.

"I have to go, Bell," Mom said, "but I'll call soon. Now I want you to keep out of trouble. Give the suit back and don't put it on again. I really am proud of what you did, but it's still extremely dangerous."

"That's what Tony said," I replied. "Don't worry about it, Mom."

"And tell Tony I would like a word with him," she added sternly. "He never bothered to tell us how you were doing or that he was undergoing court hearings. He should have at least let us know what was going on!"

"I'll tell him, then," I said with a chuckle. "Bye, Mom, I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie!"

As my mother signed off, I could distinctly feel like the last thread of our family ties had finally been unwoven. But in its place were two more loose ends that I could still tie to either one of my parents independently, starting with Mom. They may have left each other, but I realized that they never intended to leave me; no matter if it had felt like that in the first place.

*a reference to Tony and Pepper's ship name 'Pepperony'


	14. Bonds

Just then Tony came running up the stairs. Things had obviously gotten done in my brief absence. He looked flushed with excitement.

"Iz," he gasped, "it works. I did it."

"Did...what?" I said, confused.

"That thing my dad hid inside the diorama? It's the atomic structure of an element. A brand new element, Iz."

It clicked in my head. "A cure! Does it work?"

"No, but it's about to. Come on, kiddo, we're going to do science."

Tony's first order of business: make holes in the walls and the floor. I decided to go with it, inthe name of science. His brilliant plan entailed building a mini-particle accelerator in the garage, and in order to accommodate the new addition, some parts of the house had to be, well, modified. As if there wasn't already enough damage, what with the gaping hole in the floor of my room.

And as we worked, and ate pizza from time to time, we found ourselves talking to one another. Not merely a discussion on the equations or schematics, but actual chit-chat; almost imperceptibly and cordially at first, then with a gradual casualness that surprised me. Tonyhad spent most of childhood in boarding school, being ignored by his father. But it turned out his dad cared more about him than he ever let on. That was evident in the gift he had left us from beyond the grave.

The only thing that was completely taboo was Tony's tenure in Afghanistan. But that, I totally understood.

"So, when we finally get this thing done, what are you gonna call it?" I asked, as I attempted to clean as we went. (Tony had left the lab a mess in his wake, which I couldn't stand. The difference between girls working and guys working, I guess.)

"I don't know," he said. "I didn't think about that."

"Every element's got to have a name."

"Yeah." He looked at me, thinking. "It's pretty badass. How about…Badassium?" He lifted his arms in an attempt at being grandiose.

I snorted. "That's not a real name!"

"It will be when I patent it!" Tony wagged a finger at me.

"Nobody's gonna let you name an element 'badassium," I said, holding back my laughter.

Tony grinned. "Just let 'em try! I have a right to name it whatever I want, I mean—I discovered it!"

"We," I couldn't help but correct, giggling. "We discovered it."

"Eh," said Tony, "you helped."

I picked up some items and began clearing them away. "Mom called."

"Oh yeah?" Tony didn't look up. "What'd she say?"

"She was just checking up on me," I said. "She saw me on the news, kind of panicked...anyway, I calmed her down. She and Dad are sorting about a few things so their hearing runs more smoothly."

Tony nodded slowly. Then he sighed impatiently. "Look, Iz, I'm going to be honest with you. I was never shocked about what happened. Hell, I saw it coming a month after their honeymoon. Your folks were...just never a perfect fit."

I found myself agreeing. "I guess not."

"They're both brilliant people on their own," Tony went on. "But it was just- maybe math is wrong and sometimes two positives end up making a negative."

"You're talking paradoxes," I said. "So I'm the negative?"

"Not you. Just their marriage." He tilted his head and examined me, once again as if I were a bug under a microscope. "You're something different."

"Maybe I'm the paradox," I said sarcastically.

"Yeah. Probably." He looked away as if indicating that the conversation was over, but there was _one more thing _I needed to know...

"Tony, if you knew all this crap was happening, why did you agree to let me stay with you?"

He raised his eyebrows at me. "We're not doing this."

"I'm just asking," I said evenly.

Tony groaned. It was a full five seconds before he spoke. "Okay. But do NOT tell anybody this, all right?"

"Sure."

He tilted his head arrogantly. "Five years ago a video of me leaked. It was not a flattering video. I was with a woman- Rumiko Fujikawa*- and we were kind of drunk..."

He trailed off. "Oh God," I said, disgusted.

"Funny, that's what she said too," Tony said. "Anyway, the video leaked. Your old dad routed them all out, shut them down, got the news to keep quiet about it...he literally saved my entire reputation. I figured I owed him a big favor; that's how business works."

I nodded. "Um. Okay, now I'm sort of wishing I didn't ask. But thanks anyway."

Tony looked up as if suddenly struck by something. "Hey, do you want some coffee? Because I'm totally feeling like some coffee right now." Tony pushed himself out of the chair he'd been sitting on. "Take five, kiddo. Break time."

*Rumiko (or Rumi) is an actual character from the comics, and (not counting Pepper) is my favorite out of all the women Tony's dated. Rumiko died in one of the Iron Man comic runs of the 90's. I just _had _to reference her somewhere!


	15. I Hope You're Ready

Hello, readers!

So this morning I found a review from a guest-and I'm going to address his/her comments here, since I can't PM them. If you check out the reviews maybe you'll be able to see that this person (or you, if you are reading this) points out that the way I write Tony Stark is out of character. By that I am disappointed, since Iron Man is my favorite character and I've been revising this fic for about three years based on friends' feedback to make the canon characters more accurate. And I would absolutely LOVE to sit down and make this story better, but there just isn't time for that. I'm going to college soon, so as far as fanfiction goes for me, this story (and the sequel) are my last hurrah. No revisions. No additions.

But that's just one person's opinion. I want to know everyone else's. Do you agree with said commenter? I just want to know, so that in the future, if I ever do fanfiction again I can do better :) I actually appreciate this person's feedback and would like yours as well. How's Tony, Coulson, Pepper and the rest of the canon guys? Do let me know. Although nothing can be done for them now, at least I'll have guidelines to do better in the future.

Secondly, and now I address the guest commenter personally, if they've decided to stick with this fic. Thank you for encouraging me to keep writing and using my imagination, as I have for the past eight years since I decided I wanted to be a writer. (lol so maybe fanfiction is not my strong suit...haha.) I agree- the more I write, the more I will progress, and I'm sure I have been progressing, as school awards, published newspaper articles and over 150 blog followers can testify. Unfortunately, 'straightening out' this story just isn't in the cards for me. Much as I want to make it better, I just don't have the time. And I've been dealing with Iz and her messed-up parents for three years now; perhaps it was a flawed premise from the start, so I think it's time I moved on to other things.

Let me know what you guys really think about Tony as portrayed in this fic. If general consensus agrees that he is not in character, then I will, as the great Oliver Queen says, 'have failed this city.' XD

And now, cutting all my crap. Onto the next chapter!

* * *

><p>I pulled a pink tank top over my head and looked in the mirror. My black hair was sticking up everywhere; probably a result of the static I'd conducted as we worked with the particle accelerator. Tony had spilled a container of machine grease all over my previous shirt, so I had to go to the bathroom and change. My ruined shirt was far beyond saving and would have to go into the incinerator, and I dropped it there on my way out, slightly regretful.<p>

I went back to the garage. "Tony, you owe me a new—" I began, then stopped, seeing Agent Coulson standing nearby.

"Ah, there she is," said Tony. "Say goodbye to SHIELD, Iz."

"You're leaving?" I asked Coulson.

"Yes. We've been reassigned, we won't be hanging around any longer." He looked at the accelerator. "Anyway, it looks like you're almost all set."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm headed for New Mexico," he told me. "Some stuff there that needs investigating."

I raised an eyebrow. Of course he wasn't telling me any more, but I could feel this was huge.

"Okay. Goodbye," I said. "And good luck. Will we see you again?"

"Maybe," Coulson replied with a smile. "Goodnight, Miss Stark." He shook my hand and Tony's too, then walked back up the stairs calling "OK guys, let's clear out!"

I turned to Tony. "So are we all set?" He was wearing a pair of dinky rose-colored sunglasses.

He nodded. "Let's fire it up."

"You still owe me a shirt."

"First things first, Iz." He activated the particle accelerator. There was a bright flash and a loud hum as a powerful beam shot out of the end and right into the opposite wall.

"Tony!" I screamed. "It's pointing—the wrong—way!"

"I know!" he yelled. We both lunged for the gear control on top of the machine. Tony got there first and turned it hard. The beam began to move. Our objective was to focus it onto a small triangle of metal a few feet away. Unfortunately, the beam was far off the mark.

"Gimme a hand here!" Tony shouted as the hum grew steadily louder. I grabbed the control and added my strength to pushing it just as the beam sliced through a red and blue Iron Man painting.

"Oh my God!" I gasped, panicking at the mess.

"Don't mind that, we're almost there!"

FZZZ-WOOOUOUOUMMNN!

"Uh-oh, Iz—look out," gasped Tony. He reached over and put a hand over my eyes as a bright, white light sparked through the lab.

Finally it died down, and Tony took his hand away. I blinked. "Did it…work?"

Tony pulled off his sunglasses. _Not sunglasses, protective eyewear!_

"Oh, my," he said, approaching the glowing triangle before us.

"Congratulations sir," said JARVIS, "you have just created a new element."

"Actually," said Tony, looking at me with a smug smile, "we both did."

"So you're changing it?"

"Yup."

"What was so wrong with the circular one?"

"I'm through with that phase now. We've got a new power source; Iron Man gets a new chestpiece." Tony bent over his worktable and proceeded to ignore me as he hollowed out a new shape in the chest of his new armor.

"Yeah, so whenever somebody asks 'why'd you change it' you could just be all like, 'oh nothing I just invented a new element'," I teased.

Tony was about to respond with a witty comeback when we were interrupted by a mystery caller. A caller with a gruff voice and a Russian accent.

"Hey Tony, how you doing?"

"Is that—" I began.

"Vanko?" Tony said, puzzled.

"The Russian maniac with the whips?" I said.

"I double cycle," the gruff voice continued.

"You what?" Tony answered.

"You told me double cycles more power. Good advice."

"Double cycle, like on a washing machine?" I said, confused.

"Yeah…it's Vanko all right," Tony said, and to the receiver, "You sound pretty spry for a dead guy."

" You, too."

"Where is he calling us from?" I hissed. "He's supposed to be in prison. He's long past making a bail phone call!"

"Iz, hold on," Tony said. "I'm trying to trace this—"

Vanko just kept talking. "Now, the true history of Stark name will be written."

Tony and I glanced at each other grimly.

"What your father did to my family over forty years, I will do to you in forty minutes..."

"What's going on?" I demanded.

Tony held up a hand, still addressing the caller. "Sounds good. Let's get together and hash it out."

"I hope you're ready."

The line cut, and try as Tony might to trace the call, he couldn't. He stood. "I gotta go."

"What was all that about?" I said. "Tony? Did he…did he threaten us?"

"Not just us, everyone at the Expo—Pepper and everyone else…I have to go, okay Iz? Just stay here. I'm pretty sure I know what this guy's game is." He pulled the old arc reactor and replaced it with the new one.

I shielded my eyes once again as the light began to grow brighter and brighter as Tony whooped, electrified, and said, "That tastes like coconut-and metal!" The light died down, and I could see him with a huge grin on his face.

He turned to me. "Awesome, right?"

I blinked. "Oh, yeah."

He ran off to put on a suit of armor. "I'm going to the Expo. You stay put."

"Stay put? What's at the Expo?"

The machines whirred around him, putting the pieces of a new, different armor, complete with the new triangular chest-piece, into place around him. Before his face disappeared into the helmet, he said "Whatever it is that usually hits the fan is about to hit the fan."

Iron Man walked off the platform and got ready to take off.

"That is cool," I commented.

He glanced at me and I thought I could see my uncle's amused, smug expression under the helmet.

"Of course it is. I'll be back."

And with that, he blasted off, leaving me alone in the workshop.


	16. Suit Up

And for those who wanted Iz back in armor...here you go ;)

* * *

><p>So now I was alone in the garage. Well, that was a big change from when Tony had told me never to come in here, and an even bigger change from when he'd blown his top when I confessed that I had. The first thing I thought of was to go and play the piano, but the spare parts I had returned caught my eye.<p>

I picked up a gauntlet prototype, which was basically a wire frame with a repulsor that strapped over the palm. I found one of Tony's old, extra arc reactors and hooked it up. The gauntlet hummed into life.

"I'd advise you not to play around with that, Miss Stark," JARVIS cautioned.

"Don't you remember, Jarv?" I murmured, putting the gauntlet on and adjusting it slightly. "I know how this works. In theory."

It was literally ten whole minutes before the attack happened. I know because I glanced at the clock on JARVIS' display just before the wall came smashing in.

"Miss Stark, we have incoming hostiles," JARVIS warned. "May I suggest you hide immediately."

"Hide?" I echoed. "Where can I hide?!"

CRASH.

Objects went flying around the room as I staggered backward and two huge figures came flying toward me, landing with a loud _clunk. _In a split second I realized they were two robots decked out with huge guns that they fired-on me.

I dived behind a steel rack of spare parts, screaming. But JARVIS-and Tony-surprised me yet again when a panel opened up in the floor revealing a smaller version of what I recognized as a Stark Smart weapon.

"Take cover," said JARVIS as it fired at the robots.

Gunfire echoed in the workshop as I scrambled back, trying to find a better hiding place. "What are these things?"

"Hammerdrones, apparently manufactured by Hammer Industries as a response to the Iron Man suit," replied JARVIS calmly as glass splintered and showered across the room.

"Why are they here?" I was totally freaking out. One approached, and on impulse, I lifted my hand.

FZZAAAMM! The blast tore off one drone's arm.

"Oh boy," I said. "Let's do that again."

The drones were tough-they kept on going, and one of them destroyed the defense gun with a blast. JARVIS opened up another set hidden in the ceiling, but the drones rolled out of the way and targeted me.

I jumped into a small sports car that Tony kept in the workshop (for no apparent reason) and kept on firing the gauntlet, gripping the arc reactor in my free hand and hoping I wouldn't get hit. The drones were directly in front of me now.

That's when I noticed the key was still in the ignition.

In a moment of impulsive bravery, I twisted it hard and put all my weight on the gas pedal. The car shot forward with a terrific scream of tires, plowing through tables (and what was left of our particle accelerator. So much for that.) I kept my head down and clutched the wheel as the car hit the first drone. Bullets sprayed everywhere as the car made a mad spin, pinning the drone against the wall. Confident it was busted enough, I spotted the other drone behind me, still occupied with JARVIS' mansion defenses. Before I could panic, JARVIS said "Reverse."

Of course!

I yanked the gear stick into reverse and turned the wheel sharply, getting the car to perform a clumsy turn, catching the second drone around the midriff and running it down.

I was still screaming, but it was over. Smoke from both the guns and the engine filled the air and I was surrounded by wreckage everywhere. Tony was going to kill me. But those drones were so close to killing me! Had Hammer sent them? Why would he do that?

It suddenly hit me. Maybe not Hammer-but Ivan Vanko.

I opened the door of the car and stumbled out, feeling sick after what had just happened. My knees buckled and I stumbled.

There was a faint whirring sound. Dummy, Tony's mechanical arm assistant, placed something on the floor next to me. The arc reactor! I didn't know I'd dropped it. It had been torn away from the gauntlet as I pulled the car into reverse.

I hooked it up again and saw the familiar glow come from my palm. That had worked. That had actually WORKED. And someone had tried to kill me. Somewhere out there, the same person might be using these things to try to kill my uncle too. One thing was certain-he needed help. A lot of help.

And maybe I could give it to him.


	17. Busting Heads

I admit it shouldn't have been the first decision I made. But I had to do something. I was up the stairs before I had time to rethink the situation and dragging down the metal abomination I had constructed. In the garage, my hands moved before I could stop them—opening drawers, scrabbling for screws, examining and tossing pieces of armor, flicking holoscreens left and right.

_Isabella, stop, you're not thinking this through! _A weak voice in my head urged, as a stronger one insisted _You have to get to Tony and help him! Even if it means…_

"In theory," I said aloud, more to reassure myself than anything, "this should work."

I turned and looked in the mirror. My armor covered me head to foot, reassembled and ready to fly. But this time was not a test drive. And there were more risks than even I could hope to equate.

"I do hope it is not too late to discourage you from this course of action," JARVIS said as I powered on.

"JARVIS! Tony is out there, probably in danger, and so are a whole bunch of people-do you want me to sit here and do nothing?!" Great, I was arguing with a robot. "Look, nothing you say is gonna make me change my mind. I'm going, but I need your help. Come on, Jarv."

I could have sworn there was a reluctant pause.

"I am always at your service, Miss Stark," JARVIS finally responded.

_Whoever thought I'd get to fly a suit before getting a driver's license? _

In any case, I was able to make it to the Expo, even if I was little too late. There were drones and panicked people everywhere. It was a nightmare, and I couldn't help thinking what Granduncle Howard would say. People looked up, probably expecting to see Iron Man, but they were surprised. Because I was definitely NOT Iron Man. On my way I blasted as many drones as I could here and there, just to test out the repulsors more than anything—and I was thrilled that they were actually quite effective. The suit worked perfectly- except that after all this, I was pretty sure my mom would kill me.

Oh well- better her than a Hammerdrone.

The drones were tough, but I figured that if you got them in the head and back, they were pretty much dead. Things got crazy when they started chasing me too. At first I thought it was because I was a threat, but JARVIS told me they weren't. They were programmed to eliminate whoever was wearing the Iron Man suit-or anything like it.

"Is there any way I can possibly lose these guys?" I said urgently to JARVIS.

"You're using only 70% of the overall speed capability," it responded.

I sighed. "Well, it's not like there's any traffic enforcement up here! Full power, now!"

It was like the wild rush of a rollercoaster drop. I blazed a path over the Expo—and possibly through the sound barrier. The skin on my face threatened to peel off at the speed, but in spite of that, I laughed. This was the BEST THING EVER.

JARVIS provided Tony's location for me and mentioned that Rhodey, in a modified Mark 2 armor, was there as well. I soon found them in a lush greenhouse garden and landed, rather clumsily, on a mossy rock behind them.

I got a barrage of gunfire in the face almost immediately.

I crossed my arms in front of my face. "Hey, hey, HEY! It's me! Guys, chill!"

"Hold on a sec," said Tony in surprise. He and Rhodey stopped firing.

I looked up. "That's better."

"Wait a minute-" began Rhodey. He and Tony both flipped open their face masks. And their reactions under there were priceless.

"HOW!?" was my uncle's reaction, having finally gotten over the initial shock.

"I can explain—"

"Exactly what part of 'I don't like people taking my stuff' did you NOT understand?" he demanded, striding over to me. "I thought I told you to stay home!"

"I got attacked by a couple of drones," I stated as calmly as I could.

"And you came HERE? With that mess on you? I should have thrown that thing in the incinerator-"

"Hey," I said defensively, "it works."

"You shouldn't be here," said Rhodey, cutting in. "We've got this, kid. Don't get involved."

"You know what, pal? Never mind," said Tony. He turned to me. "You want to be an Iron Girl? Take your shot."

I put my faceplate down. "Oh, you bet."

"You can't be serious," said Rhodey.

"I have to be." Tony was halfway between resignation and frustration. "Remember there's a bunch of drones we have to deal with right now and we need all the extra firepower we can get. Iz, I hope to God you're ready for this."

"Oh, I am."

That's when the first drone landed. Then another, then another. Whatever it is that usually hit the fan had finally hit the fan.

They attacked. So did we.

"I admit this isn't the best way for us to bond," said Tony amidst the intense gunfire.

"It's actually pretty fun!" I said.

"Fun?" he snapped, turning and taking out a drone with an angry left hook. "FUN?"

"Never mind!" I blasted a drone's head clean off. "Aaaaand FIFTY points if you get it in the head!*"

Rhodey was already a one-man army by himself, but no one has eyes in the back of their head, and I switched position swiftly so I could watch their backs. As two drones came up from behind, I made quick work of them.

"Where did those come from?" Tony said, surprised as they collapsed on the grass.

"Way to go, Isabella," Rhodey chuckled, and I grinned underneath my helmet.

"How did you deal with the ones that attacked you?" asked Tony.

"I ran them over with one of your cars, blasted 'em with an extra repulsor..." I said.

"You're impossible," he muttered, smashing a drone in the chest.

"Just like you, buddy," said Rhodey.

Tony ignored him. "Guys, get down."

Rhodey and I ducked as Tony unleashed a powerful laser from his gauntlet, cutting down the remaining drones around us. In less than a minute we were surrounded by smoking pieces of metal.

I got up and lifted my faceplate. "Damn."

"I think you should lead with that one next time," commented Rhodey.

Tony put down his arm. "Sorry, that's a one-off. Can only be used once, done once." He turned to me. "And as for you-You're going home."

"Going HOME?" I said. "Wait, there's more, right?"

Tony cocked his head as if listening to something from within his helmet. "That was just Natalie."

"Natalie has a direct line to your suit?" Rhodey said.

"Apparently, since she's a SHIELD agent, Natalie has direct lines to everywhere," said Tony.

"Natalie's a SHIELD agent?" I said surprised.

Tony pulled off his helmet and activated a loudspeaker mode. Natalie's voice immediately came on. "...more drones stationed in an outlying warehouse, a contingency unit of about twenty. I'd try to shut them down, but it looks like they're programmed to follow a more powerful drone already on its way to you. I can't get access."

"What do you need?" Tony asked, as Rhodey and I glanced at each other, both confused at this news.

"Someone to contain the drones to this location only!" Natalie replied urgently. "They activate in about three minutes. I think the drone heading towards you is Vanko in a suit. Shut him down, and you shut the rest down. But between then and now, someone has to stop the drones from flying out of here. I'm on my way now."

"I can do that," I said at once. "I can buy you time."

"Twenty drones?" said Tony incredulously. "I think it'd be better if Rhodey—"

"I need you guys FAST!" Natalie shouted from the speaker, accompanied by the urgent sound of running footsteps. "Two minutes, fifty seconds!"

"I can't get there in time, the War Machine's too bulky for that," Rhodey put in.

"I don't care which one of you you send, just send them now!" Natalie snapped.

"Right, and I don't want you anywhere near Vanko when this goes down," Tony said to me grimly. "He's not programmed like his robots are. He could be a whole lot worse."

"You better get out of here," Rhodey said. "Tony and I can take him."

Fear suddenly clenched around my stomach. Not fear for my own safety, but for Tony and Rhodey's. There was no telling what Vanko would do—he was a person, not a drone, and he could go farther and be crueler than any robot was programmed to be.

Tony must have seen me catch my breath because he approached me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You gotta go," he said. "We'll be fine. And if we're not—"

"Don't you dare," I said, shaking my head.

"—Hey, we got this far, and so did you," Tony said.

I looked up at him, feeling at last that I had not only his trust, but his belief as well. And something worth fighting for. Finally.

*a reference to Harry Potter's Moaning Myrtle :))


	18. Bring Down the Hammer

Only two more chapters to go until the very end, guys! Thanks for your feedback, appreciation and of course, for sticking with me!

Now here, you'll get to see Isabella team up with the one and only Black Widow for some serious girl power. As always, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Tony had hitched Natalie up to the frequency on my helmet. The drones were located in a warehouse a couple of kilometers away from Hammer Industries' main building (and apparently, Ivan Vanko's command center) and were just beginning to make their way out. I blew a hole in the ceiling and landed inside. Almost at once, the drones recognized the repulsor tech in my suit and rounded on me.<p>

"Natalie, I made it, they're already activated!" I said.

"Nearly there," she responded. The drones stepped off their pedestals and headed straight for me.

"JARVIS, remind me to add more weapons to this thing," I said.

" you tried the unibeam, Miss Stark?" asked JARVIS courteously."We still have enough power left for that."

"What's that?"

"Unibeam activated."

My jaw dropped as a huge jet of energy burst from the repulsor in my chestpiece, blasting a path through the drone legion. It nearly knocked the wind from out of me, but as I steadied myself I grinned.

"...and it was _super _effective," I said. "Let's do that again."

On the opposite side of the warehouse a big door flew open and Natalie stepped out, but rather than the skirt and blouse I was accustomed to seeing her wear, she was clad from head to foot in a black catsuit. She raised her wrists to eye level and pointed them at the drones. Bullets shot out of the bands on her wrists, embedding themselves into the drones and releasing pulses that sent them crashing to the floor. Natalie raced into the thick of the battle.

"Nice Kim Possible look," I noted, grabbing one drone's head and smashing it into the chest of another.

"I thought Coulson shut you down for good," she quipped, making a vicious roundhouse kick as she went.

I was impressed and surprised. "This is crazy! I mean, I _thought _you were a trained personal assistant!"

"Fallaces sunt rerum species," she said matter-of-factly. Around us, three drones already took flight. They blasted more holes in the ceiling, and I kicked off from the clutches of one to give myself a boost as I rocketed after them.

In the air, I tackled one drone like a rugby player to conserve the armor's energy. Drone number 1 got his head ripped off, and drone number 2 was blasted into smithereens by a shot to the chest. Drone number 3, however, was already making its clumsy way across the night sky and back to its maker.

"Oh no you don't," I snarled. "Come back here!"

A controlled burst allowed me to grab the drone from behind. I was about to yank its head off when a beeping noise appeared to come from its chest.

Just in time, Tony's voice crackled on in my helmet. "Vanko's down. All drones are rigged to blow." I let go of the robot, suddenly realizing what he said. "Repeat, all drones are rigged to blow, get out of there Iz!"

"Got it," I gasped, then made a steep dive back into the warehouse as the drone blew up behind me.

Down there I grabbed Natalie around the waist as she ran out, the bodies of drones beeping around her.

"Hey!" She yelled, as the blasts went off behind us. I shot right through the hole in the wall I'd created and outside, where I found Happy Hogan standing next to the car, looking absolutely terrified.

"Happy!" I shouted, and grabbed him with my free arm. The three of us careened through the sky before I steadied myself enough to land several meters away from the warehouse, which exploded tremendously in a burst of smoke and light and heat.

As Happy caught his breath and Natalie tried to get her hair normal again, I got my communications back. "Tony! Can you hear me?"

It was a tense two seconds before he replied. "Loud and clear, Iron Girl."


	19. Denouement

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" Tony asked.

"About all this," I said, gesturing to our surroundings. We stood in the ruined remains of Stark Expo, under the shade of one of the last intact Belgian Waffle stands. With the morning sun now rising, it looked hell of a lot worse. I had to say, Tony was handling it remarkably well. "It must have meant a lot to you."

"Yeah, well...it was fun while it lasted." He turned away and started walking toward the gate, where ambulances and news broadcasting vans had already collected.

"So what now?" I asked, following. "Rhodey took your other suit, Vanko's dead, Hammer's in jail...did I miss anything?"

"Natalie isn't who we thought she was," Tony added.

"Well, there's that," I said. "And the Expo's shot to hell...what now, Tony?"

"Now?" He echoed. "We keep moving, kid. What else have we got to do?"

"Mr. Stark!" shouted the crowd of reporters at the gate. "Mr. Stark, do you have a word? What happened? Who did it?"

"Isabella!" yelled one guy. "Over here, Isabella!" A couple of reporters leaned in towards me, brandishing portable mics. "How does it feel to be Iron Man's sidekick?"

"Um, yeah," said Tony. "Let's not go here." He steered me around and back into the Expo.

"Did you just...walk out on the press?" I said incredulously.

"Hey, they were getting all up in your personal space," he said. "Don't want that to happen, do we? Especially since you're a little trigger-happy with the wrist cannon."

"Isabella!"

We looked up to see Pepper walking toward us, angrily picking her way through the rubble.

"Um...am I in trouble?" I said.

"What did you think you were doing, flying in like that? First at the party, now here-"

"I thought I calmed you down hours ago!" Tony said, trying to restrain her.

"I wasn't finished with her," said Pepper. She hugged me, to my surprise. "Oh, don't you ever do that again, okay? At least not without telling me first! Goddammit, if anything happened-"

"I'm okay, Pepper!" I said, laughing. "It all worked out! It's Tony you should be mad at, he was dying and didn't tell you."

"Oh, he told me," said Pepper, and though she was glaring at him, there was something playful about it. "What am I going to do with you both? It's like a double heart attack!"

"I'm sorry," I said, contrite. "But I'll make it up to you. We both will...right, Tony?"

"What?" Tony said.

"Yes!"

"Well for a start, how does a vacation sound?" Tony asked Pepper, with the air of someone closing a business deal. "The Bahamas."

"We'll make you breakfast," I added.

"We'll go surfing," Tony promised off the top of his head.

"And we promise to _never _stress you out again-"

"Unlikely!" laughed Pepper.

"Maybe it's a bit of a stretch, but-"

"Okay, guys," she finally said, "you can stop right there."

And to my utter surprise, she planted a juicy kiss on my uncle right in front of me.

"Pepper," he groaned when it finally ended, "we have a guest..."

"Is this...something I have to get used to?" I said uncertainly.

Tony pressed Pepper closer to his side and the two of them flashed award-winning smiles like they were at the red carpet. "Yes!"

I beamed. "I love it, guys."

It was going to be one interesting summer for me.


	20. Epilogue

AND HERE IT IS! At long, long last- the end!

This epilogue is split into two parts: Tony's POV and then back to Isabella's.

And a special note from your author to follow :)

* * *

><p>Tony's POV<p>

"Can I ask you a question?" Tony said impatiently, looking up from his seat the long steel table. On the other side of it stood Nicholas J. Fury, Director of SHIELD; a tall man in a dark trench coat and an eye patch.

Fury raised an eyebrow, similarly impatient. "Go on?"

"Why does Isabella have a file?" From the sheaf of documents Fury had previously handed to him, Tony pulled a yellow envelope and shook its contents onto the table. "Don't tell me you're considering her for this Avengers thing too."

"As a matter of fact, we are," said Fury. "SHIELD has to cover the future as well as the present. The Initiative must go on. As such, I'm entertaining the idea of establishing reserve members. Isabella is my first option."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Well, forget it. The kid's done. She never wants to put the suit on again, and her parents would kill me if I-"

"She might change her mind," said Fury evenly.

"I highly doubt that," Tony replied. "Anyway, where have you been getting all of this information on her?"

"Agent Romanoff's undercover stint didn't just include evaluating you, Stark," Fury said wryly. "Once that kid took off after your birthday party, she informed me. We've been monitoring her performance ever since. Plus, in the week that's passed, she and Agent Coulson have been getting along. Quite well, too."

"Um, yeah. I'm never letting him in the house again." Tony said. "Look, I have been trying to keep the press off her back. I've asked her several times myself. But Iz doesn't want to be my sidekick."

"Well," Fury put the documents back into the folder, "in any case, the evaluation is there. I thought you'd be proud to know that she's been approved as well, but until such time as she's old enough to decide what she wants, of course."

"Thanks," said Tony sarcastically. "That totally reassures me."

Fury brushed off this remark. "How's she doing?"

Tony shrugged. "Fine, I guess? Her parents are settling for alternating custody. Iz is leaving for her dad's place in another month. Also she adopted the bird Vanko left behind at Hammer's facility."

"And the suit she built?"

"In my armory. Never going to be used again."

"But you won't destroy it, will you?" Fury said.

Tony glanced at the yellow envelope in front of him. The corner had been stamped with the SHIELD sign of approval. Maybe...just maybe...

"No," he said. "No, I don't think I will."

Isabella's POV

Tony and Pepper personally flew me, in the Stark private jet, back to Chicago. When we landed, my father was waiting for me at the side of the runway.

"Dad!" I called, running to him.

"Bell!" He said fondly, giving me a huge, if awkward, hug.

"Morgan," said Tony, approaching with Pepper.

"Anthony," Dad said formally. He shook Tony's hand. "Good to see you."

"Mm-hmm."

"So I've been hearing all about your...shenanigans," Dad said. "Tony, are you even aware of the danger you put my daughter through?"

"Hey!" Tony raised his hands defensively. "I tried to keep her out of it! This was all her decision."

"Yeah, Dad!" I put in.

"Yet you _condoned _her behavior...encouraged it, even-"

"You don't even know the whole story, Morgan," Tony said. "Talk to your daughter. For once."

Dad fell silent, one eyebrow raised. He looked down at the birdcage I had brought with me, containing Vanko's abandoned pet cockatoo. "So you weren't lying when you said you got a bird?"

"His name is Tesla, Daddy," I said with a smile, handing him the cage. "And you two should get to know each other."

"Hmm," said Dad. He coughed and checked his watch. "I have a meeting at five. We'd better go, dear."

I nodded. Pepper hugged me. "Take care, Isabella."

"You too," I said.

"Goodbye, kiddo."Tony patted my shoulder, but I figured we had gone through too much to say goodbye so quickly. I hugged him tightly, catching him by surprise.

And to my own surprise, he hugged me back.

"Thanks. For everything," I said.

"Anything for my faaaaaaavorite cousin's daughter," Tony said, drawing out the word 'favorite' sarcastically. But he smiled at me. "Next summer?"

I blinked. "Really?"

"Of course."

The wide smile that split my face was brighter than the glow coming from Tony's chest. "Then yes. Definitely!"

Even as we started to drive away, Tony and Pepper were still waving us goodbye. I realized that coming home would be different- not just because my parents had split up, but because I had changed a little bit, too. Even if I was no longer Iron Girl, I was still more than the girl I always thought I was.

My name is Isabella Stark, and I am fourteen years old. And this story is pretty much over.

But maybe I'm wrong.


	21. author's

Hello, readers.

I cannot express how happy I am to have you guys here at the end of the terribly LONG-ASS FIC that I took waaaaaaayy too long to write. Anyways, I hope you liked it...and I hope you're ready for more.

'Yet Another Iron Man Fanfiction' (yes that's it's name, feel free to suggest otherwise) is going to be up soon, quite soon! It will be set during Iron Man 3 and further continue Isabella's story as she adjusts to life after her parents' divorce and the world after the Avengers.

Again, thank you so much for reading, reviewing and supporting. I- and Isabella- salute thee.

Excelsior!

Iris


End file.
